I am back to impart a little more wisdom about improv comedy. A friend of mine is taking over my level 1 improv workshop at the National Comedy Theatre in San Diego. As I was passing my notes on to him, I began to recall discussions I’ve had with fellow performers and I thought the idea of “Yes, And…” was a good one to discuss.
“Yes, and…” is one of the foundations of improv that is imparted to new performers. In fact there is a famous exercise that is called “Yes, and…”. It goes a little like this.
“What a nice day!”
“Yes and the weather man said it would rain tonight.”
“Yes and he is an idiot.”
“Yes and he was tested with a 50 IQ”
“Yes and he was legally declared a moron.”
“Yes and morons like Jello.”
Etc.
The foundational principle that is being enforced here is “Agreement.” It is vital that improv performers follow the rule of Agreement. Whatever is said or done on stage is truth to that scene. Performers can not deny what is brought forth. An instance occurred two week ago. I came on stage and my intent was to play a woman. I walked on stage, sat at a computer, played with my hair, walked feminine and acted as feminine as I possibly could. Mike, my fellow performer, and referred to me as Christopher. He was not denying the information I brought. Because I did not explicitly state that I was a woman, I could be labeled as a man. Which is what I had to do by becoming an incredibly effeminate man. I could have denied him and said, “I’m not Christopher, I’m Christine.” Clear Denial.
Getting back to the “Myth of Yes And.” My job as a performer is not to simply “Yes and” everything. My job is much broader than that. It’s to add information to a scene. Let’s remember that we’re telling a story here. Each performer with every line and action is laying the foundation of a story that is being told on stage. My first line generally established a relationship between performers. My second line often sets some kind of direction the two characters will move toward. The third line establishes how the characters feel about each other or the situation. The subsequent lines now begin to build the story. The game is now overlaid on top of the story to provide unexpected twists and turns for the characters.
The problem with “Yes and” is that if you follow it strictly, the scene moves like a snake in the grass. There’s not direction and there only movement. Rather than focus on a single story line, the story moves in one direction and then in another. This happens because we’re focused on the last thing that was said, rather than in the story that is being developed.
Don’t get me wrong. “Yes and” is a great exercise for beginning improv performers, but for advanced improv performers story telling is where you place the focus of your scene.
Until next time, please come see my Improv Troupe, the National Comedy Theatre in San Diego. www.nationalcomedy.com
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